Support for motion-picture cameras and the like.



c, E. AKE LEY; SUPPORT FOR MOTION PICTURE CAMERAS AND THE LIKE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. I916- '1,8,85 Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

Q1 5 MM? A TTORNEY c, E.-AKE LEY.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 8, 1916. v

Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

romvsr s SHEETS SHEET 2.

' 1 mum/r67? SUPPORT FOR MOTION PICTURE CAMERAS AND THE LIKE.

c; E. AKELE Y. SUPPORT FOR MOTIDN PICTURE CAMERAS AND THE LIKE.

' APPLICATION FILED MAY 8. l9l6. v I 1,300,8Q5, 1 Patented Apr. 15, 1919.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- 4 TTOWJEV To all whom it may concern .1

cm E. mLEY, or new YORK, n. Y., nssrenon, To AKELEY CAMERA me, or new YonK, 1v. Y., a CORPORATION or new YORK.

snrronr r03. Morrow-morons CAMERAS m 'rnn mm moogeoe.

Be it known that I, CARL E. AKIiHiEY, a

I citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the borough of Manhattan, city of New York, and. State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Supports for Motion-Picture Cameras and the like, of which the following is a specification;

My invention relates to supports for certain devices, such as motion picture cameras,

and more particularly of the general type disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,181,201, granted to my assignee-May 2, 1916, and has for its object to provide certain improvementsin the construction of the same as will be hereinafter more definitely pointed out and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings, in which Flgure 1 is a side elevation of proved camera and its base.

Fig. 2 1s a central vertical transverse seemy imtional view of the camera and its support.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional View take on the line II1[-lIIof Fig. 2.

' Fig. 4 is a horizontal detail sectional view,

taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail vertical sectional view, showing the mechanism for to.

tating and for tilting the camera casing.

Fig. 6 is a horizontal detail sectional view ral 1 denotes a base, supported by suitable centrally through the extension 4 an 'ecting to one side thereof, as seen in detail- 1n Fig.10. Mounted uponthe horizontal of the mechanism for tilting the camera casing.

Fig. 7 is a detail vertical sectional view, taken on the line VII-VII of Fig. 2.

Fig. 8 is .a detail top plan view'partly in section of -the base locking handle.

Fig. 9 is a, detail horizontal sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of Fig. 2.

Similar numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views.

In the said drawings, the reference nume legs 2 which are adapted to rest upon any suitable support, or may be fitted into the lower end at 6, whereby it may expanded by means of a cam plate 7 mounted upon the lower end of a bent rod 8 passing u ward pro- Specification of Letters Patent.

projecting portion of said rod is a handle or sleeve 9 rotatable thereon, and provided at its inner ends with a cam 10 th is adapted to be rotated into engagement with a spring friction plate 11,'which is forced thereby against the outer wall of the camera casing hereinafter described to lock said casing against rotation. The. slitted end 6 of tube 5 is adapted to be forced against the interior wall of a spherical member 12,

- which is mounted upon the tube 5, the latter being rotatable therein, said spherical member 12 being disposed in a similarly shaped recess 13 in the base 1, and being adjustably maintained therein by two fixed aws 14' and a movable jaw 15, saidjaw 15 having an arm 16 apertured to receive'a cam 17, mounted upon a shaft 18 forming an. extension of one of the legs 2, said cam being operated by a handle 19 to move said movable jaw 15 toward or away from the spherical member- 12 to clamp or unclamp the latter with re.-

spect to the base 1. .Fixed to the upper portion of the spherical member 12 is a gear Wheel 20, the same forming part of the means whereby the tube 5 and extension 4, together with the casting 3 and the camera supported thereby, may be rotated bodily in the spherical member 12 in a'manner hereinafter described.

The camera casing 21. is supported by'a spider 22, preferably of aluminum, said casing 21 having an inner cylindrical box 23 spaced therefrom to form an intervenin annular chamber 24, thecasing 21 being 0 osed by a removable front plate 25. The casing 21 is extended at its rear centrally 1nto a sleeve 26 upon which the hub 27 of the spider 22 1s mounted, said sleeve being mounted in a bushing '28, preferably f brass, which in turn is fixed in the castlng 3, whereby said sleeve 26 and with it the camera casin 21 may be revolved in the casting 3. Mbunted in the open end of the sleeve 26 is, a closure 29 centrally apertured to. form a bearing for a shaft 30 carry1n a pulley 31 at its outer end. The mner en of said shaft 30'is squared to engage a cor responding oove in a snmlar shaft 32 m 'alinement t rewith, said shaft 32 be ng adapted to rotate in anti-friction bearin s 33 mounted in a sleeve 34, which is fixed 1n the cylindrical 'box 23, as best seen 1n FIGS. 3 and4. -Keyed to said shaft 32 1s a col ar 35, which in turn is rigidly connected with Patented Apr. 15, 19:19.

. Application filed ma s, 1916. Serial naeem.

' acter disclosed thereon a gear wheel 37, which is in mesh with a larger ear wheel 38', said latter gear wheel being xed to the end of a-shaft 39 that is mounted in a suitable bearin 40 fixed to the inside of the rear wall of t e cylindrical box 231 .Also splined to said shaft 39 is the hub 41 of the film drive sprocket wheel 42, the latter being of the usual construction and needing no further dGSCIlP-r tion. The outerend of the hub 41 has fixed "thereinoppositely disposed ins 43 adapted to be detachably engaged 'y a spider 44, keyed to a'shaft 45 that projects through the front plate 25 and has fixed thereto a suitable operating handle '46; Loosely mounted upon said shaft 45 is a sheave 47 havmg a projecting arm 48 with which the handle 46 is adapted to engage to rotate said sheave 47 with the shaft 45.

Dis osed in a suitable bearing in the casting 3 elow the pulley 31 is the shaft 49 of a similar pulley 50, the two pulleys being connected by a suitable belt 51 whereby the pulley will be driven by the pulley 31.-

he shaft 49 projects into the interior of the casting 3, where it is supported by a bracket 52, and intermediate the outer wall of said casting and said bracket is provided with a worm 53, while on the'inner end of said shaft, and to the other side of the bearing 52, .is another worm 54. The, worm 53 is in gear with a worm gear 55 mounted upgn the upper end of a vertical shaft 56, w chin turn extends through the outer wall of the casting 3 near the bottom thereof and terminates in'a b vel'igg ar 57, which 1111111111 is in mesh with aRbeVel gear 58 fixed to a honzontal'shaft 59 intermediate the length of the latter, said shaft 59 being supported in movablebea'rings 60 and carrylng at its outer ends worms 61 adapted'to be brought alternately into mesh with the "gear wheel 20 hereinbefore described. To-com trol the position of the shaft 59 and its wormst61, I provide aabent lever v62 fixedto the bearing 60,- said bearing being pivoted ill pon the vertical shaft 56, as best seenin 1g.- 7, and sand -lever '62 and bearin 60 being retained in a median position y a "coiled spring 62. By movingthe lever 62 horizontally, I am enabled toibringeither of the'worms 61 as desired into engagement ar wheel ,20 in a manner ,readily with the understoo 'The worm 54 on the inner'end of the shaft 49 is In mesh with a worm ear 63 fixed to a horizontal shaft 64interme ate the length-bf the latter, said shaft being supported in a bear ng-65 rotatable upon av hub 66 projectmg from the 'beafing-52,-said .bearing 65 having projectin bent lever 67 whose lower 1% panoramic view, by mo therefrom a rizont'al end projects through a slot 68 in the outer wall of the casting 3, as best seen in Figs. 3 and 7,,said arm 67 and bearings 65 being retained in a median position-by a suitable coiled spring 69. The shaft 64 has fixed at its outer ends suitable worms 70 adapted alternately to be brought into engagement with a toothed sector 71 fixed'to t e spider 22, as best seen in Fig.7, it being -understood that withthe bearing 65 in the median position shown in Fig. 7, neither ofsaid worms is in engagement with said toothed segment. j

From the above description, the operatlon of my improved construction will be understood to be as follows The legs 2 of the base 1 are placed upon atripod or other suitable support, and when it is desired to adj st be accom lished' by shifting the cam 1 the camera as a whole on said base, this may throu h t e handle 19, which will adjust the inova 1e jaw 15 away from the spherical member 12, thereby releasing the latter and permitting the camera as a whole to be adjusted to any desired position on the base 1-,'

whereupon by again tightening the cam 17 the spherical member 12 will be locked in its adjusted position. If it is desired to take a series of pictures with the cameraffixed in this position, sleeve 9 is rotated upon the bent rod 8 to brin the cam 10 in engagement with the spring friction plate 11 and force the latter against the camera casing 21, which will lock "said casing against rotary movement. By also turning thebent rod 8 to'the right, the's lit lower end 6 of the tube 5' 'will' be expancl d by the cam plate 7 into engagement with the spherical member-12, thereby looking the depending extension 4 of the casting 3 against rotary movement in said spherical member 12, which thus locks the extension 4 against rotation, and the camera casing against movement in any direction. It will 'be observed that through thetension "of springs 62 and 69 both of the sets of worms 61 and 70 are maintained in an intermediate position, wherebyl gagement with t eir respective. gear's20 or 71, so that durin'gthe operation"-"ofthe camera under these conditions, these parts will be out of o ration. But if it is desired, say, to swing t e camera horizontally to take a the bent rod 8 to the left the cam. late 7 will be ad usted to release-the split lbwer end 6, whereby the camera as a whole will be free to rotate in a vertical axis upon the extension 4 of the cast- I ing.3.- By now moving thelever 62 to the right or left, as may be desired, agamst the tension of its spring 62, one or the other of noneof them are in en-;'

the worms 61 will be brought into mesh with; V

the ar wheel 20, and through the rotation -.o'f t e shaft 58in a manner hereinafter described, which is imparted to said worms, the latter will creep upon said fixed gear wheel 20 and thereby rotate the casting 3 upon the extension 4, which will carry with it the camera as a whole, rotating the same to the right or left as may be desired. If it is desired to rotate the camera on a horizontal axis, the sleeve 9 will be turned to release the cam 10 from the spring plate 11, thereby releasing the camera. casing 21 so that it is free to rotate in the casting 3 upon the sleeve 26 as a hub.

.By now adjusting the bent lever 67 to the right or left against the tension of itsspring 69, one or the other of the worms 70 will be brought into engagement with the toothed sector 71, thereby transmitting motion in one direction or the other to said sector and through it and the spider 22 to the camera casing, it being understood that the shaft 64 carrying the worms 70 is driven from shaft 49 in a manner now to be described.

Having thus described my invention, what I- claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1'. The combination with a motion icture camera casing, and a casting in whic said casing is mounted adjustably on a horizontal axis, of a base, a universal connection between said casting and said base, and a separate connection. between said casting and said base for permitting said casting to be adjusted on a vertical axis. 1

2. Thecombination with a motion picture camera casing and a casting in which said casing ismounted, of a base, a vertical extension at the bottom of said casting pro- 1 jecting into said base, a sleeve fixed to said vertical extension and forming a pivotal bearing between said extension and sand base, a wheel fixed to said base, worms r .adjustag mounted on said casting'in proximityto said gearwheel and normally retained out of mesh therewith, means, for

moving said worms manually into mesh with said gear wheel, and connections between said worms and the" operative mechanism of during thecamera for rotating said, worms the operatlon of the camera.

a split member between said casting and.

said base, and means for expanding said lsoplit member to lock said casting to said ase.

4. In a motion picture camera, a base, a camera casing, a: casting in which said camera casing is mounted, a vertical extension at the bottom of said casting" projecting into said'base, a sleeve fixed to said vertical extension and forming a pivotal hearing between said extension and said base, said sleeve being split at its lower end in engagement with said base, and a cam plate for exanding said split end to clamp it to said ase.

5. In a motion picture camera, a base, a camera casing, a casting in which said camera casing is mounted rotatably on a horizontal axis, said casting bein rotatably mounted on a vertical axis in sald base, and means for locking said casing against rotation in said casting and said castlng against rotation .in said base.

6. 'In a motion picture camera,-a' base, a camera casing, a casting in which said camera casin is mounted rotatably on a horizontal axis, said casting being mounted rotatably-on a vertical axisin said base, and a common means for locking said casin against rotation in said casting and said castin against rotation on said vertical axis in sai base.

7. In -a camera, a base, a' camera casing, a spherical member mounted at the lower portion of said casing, fixed jaws in said base shaped to conform to said spherical member and receiving the same, a similar but adjustable jaw also engaging said spherical member, and a cam for clampingsaid adjusting jaw against said spherical member "to lock it in any adjusted 1position.

In testimony whereof have hereunto set my hand this 3rd da of Ma 191 JABL AKELEY. 

